Stalked
by Catygirl
Summary: Here is my story for the exchange. Request from AmorTv90. What happens when a terrorist tries to use one of the kid to get to Elizabeth. Hope you enjoy and happy premiere, such a shame that the UK is not seeing it too. It has 7 chapters and is all ready to go so will be up quickly.
1. Chapter 1

_So here is my offering for this challenge. This was requested by AmorTv90. Request was 'A terrorist is stalking the McCord family and they want Elizabeth in exchange for one of the kids.' I hope you enjoy this attempt at meeting your request._

Stalked Chapter 1

The face on the monitor froze in what Blake could only describe as horror. He tore his eyes from the screen to look at the rest of the Secretary's staff. The entire group looked as fearful as he felt, although he was aware that the receiving of the message did mean that Stephanie McCord was alive, something they did not know five minutes before.

"We need to tell the Secretary." Blake stated after a minute's silence.

"No"

Blake turned incredulously towards Deputy Stephen Cushing as he continued speaking. "The Secretary doesn't hear any of this until the President signs off, are we clear?"

"Sir, we cannot keep this from her, she is worried sick!" Blake began to get agitated.

"Mr Moran, as we covered just yesterday, the only way this entire scenario is going to play out is if the Secretary has nothing to do with the negotiation. You heard the President when he relieved her from her duties."

"I appreciate that Sir, but surely she should be told that we actually know Stevie is alive."

Nadine sat up in her chair and cleared her throat. "Blake we are all concerned for the Secretary and her family but she will only be a liability if she gets involved in searching for her daughter. The best thing we can do for her is find Stevie and return her to the United States."

"I'm with Blake, she should at least be told." Matt spoke up from the other side of the table.

"I'm not sure how Madam Secretary runs this office, but this is not a democracy. You are not to tell the Secretary anything. If you cannot abide by this rule then you may take some personal time and return with the Secretary when this situation is resolved." The glare Stephen Cushing gave the staff was designed to instigate fear, it didn't really have the planned effect, as all many of the staff felt was the need for a mutiny.

However, Deputy Cushing took the silence to mean compliance and continued. "The FBI are convinced that their intel from Scotland Yard is valid and are sending men to that location, they don't believe Stephanie is still there but they hope to get some new leads. Now our job is to keep the State Department running so let's ensure it is possible to get on with the business of the day. "Daisy", he turned to the press secretary, "try to ensure that the press are kept away from the Secretary's house, if the kidnapper doesn't get what he wants he is likely to release this video. Jay, the kidnapper has specific requirements, it is likely that he is being given information that is need to know, I want you to find out if the leak is here in the State Department. Nadine, keep liaising with the White House and the FBI to stay on top of this. Blake, I am concerned about your objectivity, you would perhaps be better off with the Secretary and her family and seeing how you can help them through this."

Blake was about to complain at this when Nadine spoke up. "I think that is an excellent plan. Blake, give the Secretary our regards and ensure that she knows we are doing everything to help. Thank you Sir, let's all get back to work."

They stood and filed out the conference room and Blake dutifully walked behind Nadine with Matt following. "What about me Nadine?" Matt asked.

Nadine waited for the wider group to disperse and it was just her, Jay, Daisy, Blake and Matt. She leaned in to the group and spoke quietly. "You, Matt, you have the most important job, you will be passing all the information I get to Blake to give to the Secretary!" She eye-balled all four and walked off leaving the younger members of her team with grins spreading across their faces. Nadine had almost convinced them that she was following Cushing's orders.

_MS_

Blake showed his credentials to the agents outside the McCord family home, even although he was well known, security had been tightened around the family. He was allowed through and opened the front door and walked in.

"Ma'am, its Blake." He stated as he looked into the sitting room and walked towards the kitchen at the back of the house.

"Blake! What's going on, what do you know?" Elizabeth practically ran through the house to meet her personal assistant.

Blake handed over a letter from his jacket pocket while catching her eye and stating. "No news yet, I'm so sorry but Deputy Cushing felt I could be of help here. How are you, can I get you anything?"

Elizabeth was unsure what was going on and the whole situation meant she was a little slow on the uptake. She was pulled from her muddled thoughts as Henry, who had come down the stairs on hearing Blake arrive, took the letter from her, opened it and read it.

" _Ma'am, Nadine believes there is a chance your house has been bugged. We received a video of Stevie, she is alive and the FBI are all over it. I can't talk about any of this because the President ordered that you not have any information."_

Henry re-read the letter, handed it to Elizabeth and hugged a surprised Blake. "Thanks for coming Blake, can we get you a coffee, there are some things we could do with but come through to the kitchen and take a load off."

By the time Blake and Henry had made it to the kitchen Elizabeth had joined them and hugged Blake silently. She had suspected the house would be bugged, if only to ensure that she didn't go off the grid if she received word of what the kidnapper wanted for Stevie's return. She sat heavily at the table at the end of the kitchen, she had to focus on the word kidnapper because if she used the word fiancé, she might completely break down.

 **AN: I will post the story quite quickly, it has 7 chapters. I know the idea may be completely off what was desired but it got stuck in my head and had to been written.**


	2. Chapter 2

Stalked Chapter 2

Stalking had come easily to Jareth, in fact he had become quite adept at it. He had been following Stephanie McCord for around 6 months before he made his move to get in to her life. He had watched, despite the fact that at times there were agents around her, and he had waited. He had been aware of her two most recent disastrous relationships and learned from them before he had made an approach to her. He had observed her dates with Arthur, so wrong for her. He was old, a father, and bizarrely kept as close an eye on her through the web as he did, no she made the right decision getting rid of him. Then there was the on again/off again with Harrison Dalton. Her relationship with him had put some barriers in his own way, well there were at times two sets of agents to evade and not just one.

Jareth had bidden his time and soon, Stevie McCord was exactly where he needed her to be, single and ready for him to unleash his charms. The women always fell for his accent, so he put it to good use. In all honesty he couldn't claim that it was hard work getting to know Stevie. However, what he did find difficult was coming out of the shadows. He prided himself on never being spotted and stepping out to actually speak to his targets was surreal to say the least. But Jareth did not do a half standard job, he went all in, and his charm had won over not only the daughter but the entire family, to the extent that her father had happily given consent for their marriage.

He looked over at the mattress where Stephanie was chained and smiled. His plan could not have gone better. He had the confidence of the Secretary of State, he convinced her daughter to leave the safety of the family and come to England with him, and it took over a week for them to realise that everything was not what it seemed. He did wonder what had tipped them off, was it the fact that Stevie hadn't been in touch with them, or did they know more about him. It didn't matter he was ready to act, his bosses had wanted leverage to get the Secretary of State and now they had it. He had sent the video he had made to the State Department. He would have liked to see the reaction to it. Oh well he expected he would be hearing from the Secretary pretty soon.

Stephanie began to stir on the mattress, he watched as realisation of her predicament seeped back into her relaxed features. She really didn't like being tied up, such a shame that he had a job to do, he really did enjoy being with her.

"Wakey wakey, rise and shine. I expect your mother will be in touch very shortly."

Stevie looked away from her once fiancé, what a nightmare. "The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists." She stated in a monotone.

Jareth bent down beside the mattress and reached over to wipe the hair from her face. Stevie backed away from his touch quickly. "Oh I beg to differ, you see I have the daughter of the Secretary of State, I expect they will be very willing to negotiate."

Stevie scoffed. She knew better, she had been to the initial security briefings but he might as well think that he had the upper hand. She turned and simply stated again, "The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists."

Jareth grabbed her arms pulling her towards him. "Well you'd better hope they do my dear or we will have no more use for you."

Stevie whimpered in pain and he released her just as the phone rang.

Jareth walked over to the other side of the room and picked up the landline phone.

"Yes"

"I expect to get a response today."

"I know, we have to keep moving though, they will be looking for us."

"When did they get in?"

"Right, we will move after dark and I'll let you know when I get contact from them."

He hung up the phone and turned back to Stevie, "Well it seems that we left enough bread crumbs at our last location, my dear, the Metropolitan Police have just entered our previous accommodation. Oh well, we will be long gone from here before they find this location." He moved and began to pack their meagre belongings and wait for night to arrive. He expected the State Department would be in touch before the deadline of midnight, D.C. time tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

Stalked chapter 3

Blake felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket and took it out to read the text.

"Ma'am, I need to go out to get the rest of your supplies. Can you make a list so I can get everything you need?" Blake spoke while handing his phone to his boss.

 _I have more news, meet in the park – Matt_

"Sure Blake." Elizabeth answered distracted by the message and struggling to remember that she couldn't talk freely in her own home.

"I'll be back soon." Blake stated, quickly squeezing her hand and nodding to Henry.

Blake spotted Matt as soon as he arrived at their pre-arranged meeting place. The greeted each other and sat on a bench.

"They checked the location." Matt began, "She wasn't there, but they have some leads. It looks a bit like a set up though."

"What do you mean?"

"They found detailed maps of several locations just lying around as if they were meant to find them. The director of the FBI is worried; it looks more premeditated than we had all first thought."

"I don't know, I'd say meeting a woman, convincing her you love her then kidnapping her to get to her mother is fairly premeditated." Blake added.

"You never did like him, did you?"

"No," He sighed, "But that doesn't mean I predicted this. So what's the plan?"

"Cushing has been ordered not to give in to the demands, needless to say we have no intention of handing over the Secretary, the two prisoners they demanded will stay put and there will be no money for the ransom."

"Okay" Blake sighed, he had assumed they wouldn't meet the demands but what now. "So what's Nadine's plan?"

Matt looked at his friend, he was often taken aback by Blake's grasp of what was going on. He supposed he shouldn't be except Marsh's personal assistant had been pretty clueless and Matt had been used to that.

He smiled, "Here's the file on the prisoners, give it to Madam Secretary, see what she makes of it. Nadine well, she thinks there is a back channel way to get to Stevie… through Isabelle Barnes."

"Madam Secretary's CIA friend? She's been on assignment for the last few months."

"Exactly, Jareth never met her as far as we know. Anyway, Nadine has made contact and she is desperate to help. She is on her way to London as we speak."

"Can I tell Madam Secretary?"

"Yes…. because we might need her help. This is the tricky bit Blake, we all know that if it was up to her she would give herself up immediately. Only she would have no power if she was taken. The President would not do anything to save her, we know that. The minute he did it would be open season on all US officials. But it might come to it that the only way to save her daughter is to be taken in exchange and I for one wouldn't get in the way of her doing that. Anyway Agent Barnes is travelling from Paris on the Eurostar, she should be there within the next few hours. She's not going to the first location; Nadine believes its likely someone is watching it to keep Jareth one step ahead. Agent Barnes is bringing all the covert resources of the CIA to this, we can only hope it's enough."

Blake nodded, "Very good."

They were both just standing to leave when Blake spotted Frank, the head of the DS detail tasked with protecting the Secretary. They watched as he made a deliberate point of removing his earwig and his cuff mike and leaving them on the bench before the one they were standing at. He moved towards them.

"Beautiful weather for a walk in the park, wouldn't you say?" He walked passed them and looked expectantly at them to follow him.

"Ms Tolliver has been in touch." Frank began. "She would like DS help in keeping the press away from the family. She feels that a more secure location would benefit the situation." He waited a beat. "I of course told her that the safest location would be her private jet and that perhaps we and you as her personal staff could put together a flight plan that would ensure the _whole_ family's safety."

Blake and Matt looked at each other surprised at the new development. Eventually Blake spoke up. "Well, Matt and I were just discussing that Madam Secretary should be surrounded by her closest friends. Although her closest friend is actually in Europe."

"I heard London." Frank added, smirking.

"Is this workable, without the President finding out?"

Frank's grin grew wider. "Oh Mr Mahoney, there are many things possible when you have the weight of the security services behind you." He turned and looked back to his abandoned mike. "Give me two hours, get the family ready and the motorcade will be waiting to take you all to the hangar."

"Thanks Frank." Blake smiled for the first time since they realised that Stevie was in trouble.

"I suggest only you accompany us Mr Moran, any more than that and Deputy Cushing may get suspicious."

Matt and Blake nodded and Frank walked away. "Should have known Nadine would have a plan." Matt murmured.

"Yeah, she knows everything about anything and how to get something done." Blake paused. "Right, I need to get the family ready without tipping off anyone who might be listening. I'll see you when we get back, hopefully with the whole family."

"Good luck man. Try to stop either adult McCord from doing anything heroically dangerous, although I don't much like your chances."

_MS_

Blake walked quickly back to the house, aware that the family would know that he was returning with news. He was therefore unsurprised to find all 4 McCords waiting for him in the living area. The first thing Blake noted was the strain in the atmosphere, the children had obviously been told about the potential listeners to any conversation and everyone was struggling to speak without giving anything away.

Blake started. "I got everything you asked for. We shouldn't need anymore supplies for a while." He moved through the room to the desks beside the window for paper to write on. He returned with a pad and began making notes while speaking.

"Now it seems that the market were out of your usual cereal so I got a different variety" He looked at his boss and got her to come and look over his shoulder. As Elizabeth moved, Henry followed, grasping her hand.

 _Nadine has contacted Isabelle Barnes, she is travelling to London._ Blake wrote.

 _There are three demands, money, prisoner exchange and you for Stevie_ Blake heard the intake of breath from both adults and Blake immediately wrote. _NONE of these are being met, we have another plan._

He turned over the page as he invited Allison and Jason to join them. "McCord children I hope I got everything you wanted, you weren't here when I first asked. Come have a look."

Once they all could see over his shoulder he began writing.

 _Frank is arranging for us all to travel to London, Stevie is still in England and we will be able to fly under the radar and help if needed._

They all looked at each other, Henry squeezed Elizabeth's hand trying to express how glad he was they were doing something.

"Thanks Blake" Elizabeth spoke quietly, although they could all hear the emotion in her voice.

"I think it would be sensible for you to all try and rest. I can stay down here and keep in touch with the office for you." Blake stated, then continued to write.

 _The cars will be ready in two hours. I need you to pack light, and be ready to go when Frank calls. Nadine organised this but no-one else will know._

Henry nodded. "Blake's right babe, we didn't sleep much last night, if we all take some time to get rest we will be able to help Stevie more later. Kids, same goes for you. Blake could you contact the kid's schools and tell them they will be out for the next week.

"Of course." Blake moved from the living area and watched as the whole family made their way up the stairs. Leaving the children here would be much easier but he could understand why Henry and Elizabeth didn't want them out of sight at the moment.

He placed the two calls citing family emergency but giving no details. The longer they managed to keep the kidnapping under wraps the easier it would be to get Stevie home. Time seemed to move slowly as they waited for Frank to arrive with the cars. He didn't know how Frank would keep their movements from the President but he trusted the head agent to know his job and the ways around the situation.

Finally, they were all gathered in the living area, Blake had quickly popped home to grab his go bag which he hoped would have enough clothes to do him the next few days. He had changed into casual clothes as he suspected that they would all be aiming to look like tourists to ensure that they didn't stand out. The minute the embassy or the police knew they were in the UK the game would be up and who knew what Jareth would do if he found out that the Secretary of State was actually in the same country as he was. The family had clearly had the same idea about the clothes and it was joggers and hoodies all round.

The phone rang and Blake went to answer it in case it was someone that they didn't want to speak to.

"Blake. Frank"

"Yes Frank."

"We've had a meeting and we feel that the Secretary needs to be kept more secure. The cars will be out front in a couple of minutes. We will make plans in the car. Deputy Cushing has signed off on the transfer. Can you get the family ready?"

"Yes Frank, I'll tell them."

He put down the phone and turned to the room. "The agents feel you need to be more secure, in case the news breaks. Deputy Cushing has agreed a plan with Frank. We need to be ready to move."

They all reached for their belongings then Henry realised that for pretences they would now need to go and pack. "Ok kids, quick time, up the stairs, grab some stuff, the DS agents won't wait." He shooed Allison and Jason up the stairs to make some noise and then called them back when the agents rang the doorbell.

They piled into the vehicle, unsure what was actually going to happen but thrilled that they were actually involved in rescuing Stevie.


	4. Chapter 4

Stalked chapter 4

 **thanks for all the reviews, hope the premiere was good. On with the story. Back to Stevie.**

Stevie rubbed her wrists trying to stop them chaffing from the handcuffs. She had been moved overnight in the back of a blacked out van and had no idea where she was, except she assumed still in the UK. Jareth had drugged her to stop her calling out for help and she was feeling very groggy. She looked around the small room he had her chained in, there was no food or water, very little light and she could hear nothing.

She was beginning to feel desperate. She knew that the US government would not negotiate for her, she also knew that her mother would have been replaced and would have no actual say in what was going on. They had made that very clear when her mother had taken the job.

She was really disappointed in herself, she had not paid enough attention and should have realised that there was something wrong with Jareth. I mean, who would propose three months in to a relationship – it was absurd. And she had fallen for it! Yes she had cancelled the wedding part but apparently it didn't matter, all he wanted was for her to leave the safety of the family.

She had been so stubborn, her mother had been nervous about her trip to Oxford, had warned her to be on the lookout. She hadn't been scared at all, everything would be fine. Jareth would look after her. What a joke!

It had become immediately obvious that this whole thing was planned. He took control as soon as they stepped off the plane and into 'his family' car. That had turned out to be his employer's car, they never made it to Oxford, as far as she knew, and she had been pretty much chained up ever since.

The door slammed and she winced as she realised that Jareth was back. He stormed in to the room and threw his wet umbrella at her. She jumped at the shock of the water droplets and the handle which almost hit her head and cracked her shoulder.

"Did you know?" He yelled.

"Know what?" She mumbled, trying to inch away from him and the rage in his eyes.

"Don't play innocent with me, did you know they would force her to resign?"

Stevie sighed, it was as she had assumed so she gave the answer that had been given to her in previous conversations with the DS agents. "Standard protocol." She stated with no emotion.

"What the hell do you mean, standard protocol!" Jareth was almost red with anger.

Stevie suddenly lost her fear and was angry herself, it wasn't her fault he didn't do his homework. "What do you think I mean, its standard protocol, if something happens to threaten the objectivity of a cabinet member they have to stand down."

"Well my employer has a standard protocol, if the operation goes tits up, get rid of all eyewitnesses. That includes you my dear." He drew a gun and pointed it at Stevie's head.

Stevie tried to calm down, she had to keep him talking, that's what Fred had told her and her siblings in the beginning. She took a deep breath and focussed on what he was saying. "I think you are forgetting, you are an eyewitness now too, and totally expendable if you are also a murderer."

"I can take care of myself." Jareth tightened his hold on his weapon, his forehead stretched and sweat beading.

Stevie realised that his face was showing doubt and fear so she pressed that advantage. "I have no doubt, but perhaps you should consider a few things. You do know that my mom is protected by secret service agents who have the right to shoot to kill on sight without asking questions. But maybe you are not aware that for years she was a covert operative and ran ops for the CIA, and that's not to mention my dad, the marine captain."

"So what are you saying?" Jareth's arm wavered with the gun.

"I'm saying Jareth" she spat his name "that unless you are completely different to the man I fell in love with and have full military training, if you choose to take this action, whether it is by your employer's hand or someone connected to my parents you will also be dead very soon."

She lay back on the bed, waiting for the gun to fire and for her life to be over. But it never came. After about a minute she opened her eyes and saw Jareth over beside the tiny window. Her plan to get under his skin had worked. Now she just had to get out of here.

"We have to convince your boss that I am still useful." She stated quietly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Jareth, I don't want to die, you don't want to die, so in this situation we have to convince your boss that the whole thing is not a disaster and that he doesn't need to kill either of us."

Jareth was staring at her and perhaps for the first time realised that she would now hold the power not him, because she was right, neither of them wanted to die.

"Did any of it mean anything. You and me?" She asked quietly.

He shook his head; he couldn't lie to her.

"Ok, then let's just both get out of this alive. Do you have a cell phone that your employer can't trace?"

He walked over and gave her the phone. Stevie called the one number her mother had drummed into her for years.

"Hello" the voice on the other end sounded suspicious at an unrecognised number.

"Aunt Isabelle, its Stevie."

"Stevie, are you ok?" Stevie had not heard her mother's friend speak in such a high tone before.

"No not really." She was trying to hold it together, she knew that Jareth's employers had tabs on him and she had no idea how to get away from them.

"Honey, where are you?" Isabelle's voice calmed Stevie enough to speak again.

"I don't know, Jareth moved me last night. His bosses have just found out that mom has been asked to stand down. We've become expendable, they want him to kill me then they will kill him."

"Ok, honey, is he there? Can he tell you where you are or where we can meet?"

"I don't know." Stevie looked up at Jareth. "Where are we?"

Jareth seemed to snap and lunged for her and the phone. "No, I am still in charge here, give me the phone, give me the phone."

Isabelle was stunned when she heard a struggle, a crash, a scream and finally a gun shot.


	5. Chapter 5

Stalked Chapter 5

The plane ride had been a quiet affair, Allison and Jason had slept, for the first time in two days, feeling secure with their parents and the agents. Henry, Elizabeth and Blake had finally been free to talk after Frank had assured them there was no covert bugs on the plane.

Blake spoke of the video which Jareth had sent to the State Department and told his boss the details of the three demands being made, a hand over, the prisoner swap and the ransom being demanded.

"We could pay that amount." Henry stated, "We would have to re-mortgage the farm but we could do it."

"I don't think it would matter, they want me, or at a pinch, the prisoners not the money. They won't let her go without either of the other options." Elizabeth stated, her strategic mind looking past the obvious answer.

Elizabeth had spent the rest of the flight trying to think of a way to get Stevie from Jareth because she knew that Conrad wouldn't authorise the release of the two men asked for. However, she was also contemplating the men themselves. They were not highly prized targets. A couple of Russian spies who, with conversation with herself, would probably have been at least allowed to serve their sentence closer to home. No, unless they had missed something in these men's cases, the main aim was to get her and she had to make sure that didn't happen, although since Conrad had followed protocol, she couldn't offer them anything anyway.

They landed at Luton airport with little fanfare, the gulf-stream jet pulling in to the hangar as if they were simply a rich family able to own such luxury. Frank had arranged a small detail, himself, a young female agent who could if necessary pose as Blake's girlfriend and a young male who, much to Henry's disgust, Alison was happy to play the role of girlfriend with.

No-one recognised them and they were in a hotel in central London without any hassle, having diplomatic passport security clearance did have its benefits.

Once they were settled in the large suite there was a knock at the door. Frank had positioned himself outside so they knew it was nothing sinister.

Blake opened it to reveal Isabelle who rushed in to face Elizabeth and pulled her in for a hug.

"Stevie called me Bess, she is fine but still in danger."

Elizabeth crushed her friend in a bruising hug. "What did she say?"

"That whomever hired the fiancé had no idea you would be asked to stand down and that his bosses want him to kill her and then she thinks he will be killed."

Elizabeth whimpered and moved to sit on the sofa, this was not good, while she was being used as a pawn Stevie was useful and would be kept alive, now she could easily be killed at any moment.

"Do you know where she is?" Henry asked sitting beside Elizabeth and trying to comfort her.

"Yes, we caught a break there, the phone she called on was left on for longer than I expect Jareth would have wanted. Langley were able to pinpoint her position. I have agents watching the location, they know exactly where she is but they are waiting instructions on getting her out." Isabelle looked Elizabeth in the eye, "Someone else is watching them too, the agents spotted them immediately."

"What's the plan?"

"I called Nadine, we have authorisation to mount a rescue, Dalton signed off, although he doesn't know you are here."

"What is it Isabelle, if you thought it was easy you would have gone in hours ago."

Isobel ducked her head, she hated to say this but her friend needed to know. "The reason the phone stayed on was because there was a struggle and a gun went off. My agents have done an infrared search of the location and there are two lifesigns, we just don't know if there are injuries."

"Surely that is more reason to go in now?" Henry declared.

Elizabeth sighed, this was why she was the spy in the family. "Not if we want to catch who was behind it all."

"Can't we at least confirm our daughter was not shot in a struggle, because let's face it, if Jareth was dead then Stevie would have left the room or at least called again."

"Henry." Elizabeth pleaded, trying to get him to calm down.

"It's ok." Isobel stated, "I'm thinking the same thing. Will I get the agents in and Stevie out?"

Everyone in the room looked to Elizabeth as they knew that it would be on her say so that anything happened.

Elizabeth was torn, it was for this very reason that Conrad had excused her from office. She shouldn't have to choose between her daughter and getting to the bottom of a blackmail attempt of the US State Department. "Get Nadine on the phone, check what's going on at their end. Then we make the decision."

Isabelle left and Jason immediately spoke up. "I don't understand you, we know where she is, we need to save her, that's why we are here isn't it?"

"It's not that simple Jase." Elizabeth moved over to him.

"Sure it is, we have security, Aunt Isabelle has her agents, we can get Stevie out."

"Jason, it's pretty clear from the video sent to the office that the people behind this want more." She paused in her explanation, unsure whether to fill the children in completely.

Henry made the decision for her. "Jason, the kidnapper wants your mom in exchange for Stevie, we don't know why or for what purpose but they might not stop at Stevie, we need to protect you and Allison too."

Elizabeth sat down beside Jason and pulled him into a hug. "We've found Stevie, yes we need to know she is ok, but she is back under our protection. I have to know that there is no threat to the rest of you." Elizabeth's control slipped for the first time since she got word that Stevie was missing and began to cry. Henry quickly at down beside her and swept her into his arms.

Isabelle returned, "Have you heard something?" She was worried about the change in emotions.

"No, it's just getting too much for us," Henry answered, while Allison came up behind her parents to receive the comfort her parents offered. "What did Nadine tell you?"

"Conrad has sent a statement to the press informing them that due to a family emergency you have been given leave. That you have no power and anyone trying to take advantage of this position should well, give it up now. The press is all over it according to Nadine, debating your emergency and what might be behind it. Most are accurately predicting some kind of blackmail or terrorism but no-one is confirming or denying. Cushing has already given instructions to get in to check on Stevie. My agent is doing it now. The plan is to get both Stevie and Jareth, then get him to flip on his employers. Of course, none of them know you are here but if things go south then we will have to come up with a strategy." She looked around the room as they all took in her words. She knew that her best friend needed to do something, not to mention Henry who looked like he could positively kill someone so she continued with what she had told Nadine she was going to do. "C'mon it's a bit of drive but I think we should be closer than here for when she is rescued."

Isabelle went outside to brief Frank and the group packed up their belongings, kept the suite at the hotel but went to get closer to Stevie, all hoping that this would be a rescue and not a body recovery.

 **I think I let my imagination run wild with the CIA stuff, but if you can't do it in fan fiction then when can you. Let me know what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

Stalked chapter 6

"Damn it Jareth, you could have killed me!" Stevie yelled after her ears had stopped ringing. She looked over the edge of the mattress and was shocked to see Jareth collapsed with blood coming from his side. "Crap, I can't get free, where's the key?" She squirmed on the bed listening to Jareth moan as he held his side.

Stevie had no idea where the phone had ended up but hoped that her Aunt would be in touch with her parents and able to get someone here to rescue her. She was very torn with part of her wanting to help Jareth but knowing it was his fault she was chained and so couldn't get to him.

Hours passed, she realised that they couldn't be anywhere with many neighbours as no-one had responded to the gun shot. She was hungry but safe at least, Jareth was still breathing, she could hear him, but she figured he was unconscious as he was moaning less.

Suddenly she heard a crash and what she assumed was a door in another part of the building being broken down. Then as she listened closely there were noises of large boots on the floor. She kept silent, if this was not her aunt but Jareth's boss she didn't want to give away her location.

Seconds seemed to turn into minutes and she could see the bright light of a flashlight passing below the door of the room she was in.

Then finally "Stephanie McCord? Agent Mackintosh, the State Department sent me. Please answer me."

Stevie cleared her throat, "Here, I'm in here." She called, although her voice was hoarse from lack of use.

She heard footsteps coming towards her and finally the door opened. The agent strode in to the room quickly surveying the situation. He walked over to the bed and checked her over. "You all right ma'am?" He asked quietly looking at her wrists and seeing the cuts and bruises there.

"I'm fine, I can't get free but he is pretty badly injured." Stevie pointed to the other side of the bed.

"Ok, well you are my priority. I'll try to find the key. Here, use the cell, your mom is anxious to hear from you."

He dialled a number and handed her the handset. She waited for a moment and the call was answered. "Stevie? Is that you?"

"Mom." She whispered, and it was enough.

"Baby, everything is going to be alright, are you ok? Are you injured? Are you safe now? He didn't hurt you did he?"

"Elizabeth, let her talk, that's a lot of questions." Stevie could hear her father in the background.

"Jareth shot himself in the struggle, I'm ok."

"The agents are going to get you out baby, we'll see you soon."

"Ok mom."

"Stay on the line baby, you don't need to talk but I need to know you are there."

Stevie lay back on the bed, her adrenaline beginning to seep out. She was aware of the agent finding the key in Jareth's pocket and releasing her arms but she was really unable to move. She heard a noise from the other room and didn't think anything of it until Agent Mackintosh forced her off the mattress and she was surrounded by gunfire.

"Taking fire! Backup required." Agent Mackintosh called into his mike while Stevie cowered behind the mattress hearing bullets smash into the walls and the floor. She was aware of hearing her mother scream through the phone but couldn't get to the cell which was lying on the middle of the mattress.

The gunfight could not have lasted more than a few minutes and then there was silence. Stevie slowly looked above the edge of the mattress and saw Agent Mackintosh, thankfully still alive, standing over two other men that she didn't know. Behind them another group of people had come in the door. Several British policemen in their uniforms and others dressed in suits whom she assumed were members of the security services.

"Agent Sam Mackintosh, CIA, here on the authority of President Dalton to protect Ms McCord." He reached into his pocket to withdraw his ID.

"We need secure extraction, and an ambulance for the kidnapper, both he and Ms McCord are in my custody. The FBI has been in touch with Scotland Yard to confirm this."

"Very good." One of the British police spoke up. "We'll need to secure your weapon sir and those of the men you shot."

"No problem, we need to ID them quickly. I'm going to scan their fingerprints and send them to Langley and Quantico, I'll also send them to Interpol. It is essential to determine whether the threat to the State Department is eliminated or not."

"Understood. The ambulance should be here soon. Is there anyone we need to speak to about Ms McCord?"

"No it's under control." He reached for the cell phone and was a little worried when he saw it was still connected. "Ma'am! ma'am! Calm down please, Stevie's fine ma'am, we have her, she is anxious to speak to you." He handed the cell to Stevie and addressed the senior policeman. "Once the ambulance gets here I'll escort Ms McCord to a safe location."

Stevie sat still on the mattress as people milled around her, listening to the soothing voice of her father on the other end of the line, trying not to hear her mother's tears as she would occasionally contribute to the conversation. The ambulance crew arrived and took control of Jareth who was still unconscious and had received two more bullets from the attempt to kill her and Agent Mackintosh. Part of her hoped he was ok, the part that had planned to spend the rest of her life with him. However, the other part really didn't care. He had brought this all on himself and if he survived it would only be to give her mom the details on who he was working for and who wanted her mother and control of the State Department.

Finally, Stevie was escorted from the building and taken to a small country hotel. She wasn't really sure why they didn't head to the embassy in London then discovered the reason when she was led into one of the rooms and was surrounded by her family. Her parents were now both openly crying, she rarely saw that, things had to be really bad, like her mom getting lost in Iran or her Grandfather killing himself. She had never seen them like this, weeping, and it made her realise again that she was blessed to be loved like this.

She was then surrounded by the nerds as she liked to refer to her siblings. She was very happy to see them, quite surprising given how Jason, in particular, really annoyed her. She simply stood in the embrace of her family glad that her ordeal was over.

 **One more chapter to go. It will be posted tonight as I am away tomorrow. Thanks for the reviews.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So we have reached the end of this adventure. Hope it lived up to the request. Thanks for the idea, if anyone has other suggestions I could do with some ideas to get the brain going so please PM me. Now on with the show.**

Stalked chapter 7

Deputy Cushing stood at the end of the conference table staring at Madam Secretary's staff. It was clear, given what he now knew, that his instructions had not been adhered to. They all stared at the centre of the table, unwilling to meet his eye.

Finally, Nadine looked from the table to her temporary boss. "Madam Secretary will be returning later today; she intends to take a few days off. Are you to stay in position until then?" She asked boldly.

Cushing struggled not to lose his temper. "I am more concerned as to how Madam Secretary managed to be out of the country and in the exact location as her daughter when she happened to be rescued when none of the information from here was to go to her?"

Nadine drew a breath and began to give the story that she, Elizabeth and Isabelle had formulated once Stevie was safe. "Sir, it appears that her friend Isabelle contacted the Secretary. She had been asked to give assistance given her knowledge of the family and of where Stephanie was being held."

"Asked by whom?" Cushing asked, knowing he was unlikely to get a straight answer.

"I am unsure Sir but given Agent Barnes work for the CIA, I can only presume the request came from there."

"That's all very convenient Ms Tolliver."

"Perhaps, but it has allowed us to rescue Stephanie McCord and find the root of the problem."

Cushing glared at the Chief of Staff and realised he was not going to get anywhere. He sighed and turned to the other side of the table. "Yes, Jay can you fill us in on what you found."

Jay sat up straighter and began with what he knew. "Agent Mackintosh fingerprinted the men who attacked the farmhouse. They have connections to the Russian Mafia. We believe that there was an attempt to gain power in Russia, against the ruling government. Their plan was simple Sir, use Stevie to get access to her mother and then use her influence to bring down the government using terrorist threats and potential attacks from the US military."

"Why did it fail?" Cushing asked.

"Well, Sir, from what Stevie said in her statement, the group had no idea that her mom would be relieved of her duties when her kidnapping was known. They were surprised to say the least and decided to eliminate the witnesses to the plot. We were lucky that Agent Mackintosh was in the room when they attacked."

"And we are sure that we got the whole group?"

"Yes sir" Matt spoke up. "The Russians have cleared their own house with the information we gave them from Jared. There was no leak from here, Jay checked and couldn't find anyone suspicious. We got them all."

"Good. However, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that this could have ended very badly if your involving the Secretary had led to her kidnap."

Nadine cleared her throat, the plan had been hers and she was more than willing to stand by it. Quietly but firmly she explained, "Sir, Madam Secretary is an ex CIA covert operative. She has over 20 years' experience dealing with these kind of situations. She is probably the cleverest strategist I have worked with and has the ability to see problems from unique angles. She was not going to sit back while somebody kidnapped her daughter. We merely allowed her to participate in a safe and secure manner where at no time was she out of the protection of her security detail. She had the feeling of involvement but actually no ability to make any decisions."

"And you didn't believe that the President or I could be trusted with that theory?" Cushing asked, accepting albeit grudgingly Nadine's theory.

"Honestly Sir, you were both focussed on the fact she was a mother and not her other roles. It was only a matter of time before she escaped her detail and went off to rescue Stevie with Dr McCord. This way we controlled the situation."

"Very well, I may not like it but I understand where you are coming from. However, I'll leave you to tell the President and Russell Jackson, as it was your plan! Or perhaps you should wait until Madam Secretary is here back up your theory. Good job people."

Deputy Cushing walked out the room and into the Secretary's office leaving the staff breathing deeply and smiling.

"Wow, thought we were all going be fired for that one. Well done Nadine, remind me never to cross you." Matt said smiling at his boss across the table.

"When does the plane land?" Jay asked.

"In about an hour." Nadine answered looking at her watch.

"Anyone feel like a trip to Andrews to form a welcoming committee?" He stood up pointing behind him at the door.

The others looked to Nadine gauging her reaction. She closed her folder slowly then stood. "I think we all deserve a half day and we would be remiss not to welcome our boss back from her travels. Set it up Jay, get us a ride to Andrews."

They waited inside the hangar for the gulf-stream aircraft to taxi in. They were all anxious to ensure that the McCord family were all well. They waited for the door to open and then Frank came down the stairs. He was followed by the male agent then Jason, Allison and Blake. Elizabeth followed with Stevie holding her father's arm. There was a collective sigh of relief from those on the ground. With Nadine in the lead they moved towards the family and were all surprised when Elizabeth engulfed her Chief-of-Staff in a hug.

"Thank you for letting me go and get her."

"My pleasure ma'am. I'm so pleased you were able to bring her home."

"All thanks to you, if you hadn't called Isabelle or got Frank and Blake to guide us, it could have been a lot worse."

Henry reached over and hugged Nadine too, then spoke to them all. "Thanks guys, we owe you, big time. Now, however, since all our body clocks have no idea what the time is we need to get home and relax."

"I recommend your farm Dr McCord, the press are camped outside your door in Georgetown. Frank has radioed ahead to clear the way to the farmhouse." Daisy stated.

Henry looked at his family and got nods from all, especially Stevie who was not up to talking to the press.

"Good enough, thanks everyone, we are all grateful that Stevie is back safe. Give us a couple of days then we can deal with the fallout." Elizabeth stated, nodding at all her staff who worked to get Stevie home. She wasn't naïve enough to assume that the threats to her family were finished but for now, they were home, they were safe and they were together.


End file.
